Location/practise shots

A scene we watched in class from a film called 'Witness' by  Peter Weir was the main inspiration for the toilet scene that will take place in our thriller opening. There are mirrors in various different positions in the toilets we are going to shoot in. Mirrors symbolise a different view on somebody and can cause great suspense if used efficiently as well as presenting an enigma for the audience. These props are the main feature of the mystery/thriller film, 'Mirrors', starring Kiefer Sutherland. The film gives off immense suspense throughout due to the clever use of the mirrors to create drama amongst the audience. If we are able to duplicate the techniques used with these props I believe an intense thriller feel could be created in our opening. I felt that the scene has more impact when the lights were turned off and only natural lighing can be seen. This slight darkness correlates with the darkness of the events that are going to take place in our thriller opening. It also strikes a contrast between the brightly lit hallway that we may choose to shoot prior to the bathroom scene, emphasising how the bathroom can be seen as a whole new world. However, although the darker shot seems more fitting for the thriller genre, it may be interesting to challenge key generic features of the genre. This was done in the film 'Jackie Brown' where Robert De Niro shoots a woman in broad daylight in a public area and worked very well. It proved shocking and ruthless to the audience.

This is a shot we saw as perfect for the follow scene leading up to the toilet scene. The wet path is considered a key thriller convention and is used throughout many successful thriller films in the past such as 'Jackie Brown' and 'Thelma and Louise'. The wet street tells us that it has been raining, this is then further associated with the mood of the film. In this case, seeing as it has been raining, the mood and feel might be sad or gloomy. We considered both a straight high shot and a tilt high shot and eventually decided that the latter best suited our opening because it shows disorientation and foreshadows that something abnormal is going to occur.

I was inspired by a shot I saw from the film 'Jackie Brown' where the characters Ordell and Beaumont are walking to a car and they pass a set of railings as the camera pans with them. With a closer look, these rails give the effect of prison bars and therefore forebode negative occurrences. Another shot like this was used in Essex Boys where a reflection from lights is used to represent bars. We were lucky enough to find bars in our location which could give this 'bar effect' and so used this opportunity. The fractured society that the shot represents fits perfectly with the meaning behind our thriller.